The education continues during Felicity's
junior year. Golden Globe winner Keri Russell (Felicity) returns
to the
University of New York for a new
course
in self-discovery. Felicity's big
decision to move in with Ben (Scott Speedman) shapes the direction
of the school year, but it's just one of the many exhilarating
challenges she faces.
CRITIQUE
I enjoyed the second
season of Felicity more than the third season mainly
because the writing was better. The stories in the third year are
just a little bit too predictable, and some are uninteresting. On
the other hand, the season gets a few things right; it delves
deeper into the relationship between Sean (Greg Grunberg) and
Megan (Amanda Foreman), and the Noel Crane (Scott Foley) story is
kind of entertaining as well except for when he begins to stalk a
nice girl (no physical harm done, of course). The relationship
between Felicity and Ben is put to the test again, with the usual
disagreements and such going on. Elena (Tangi Miller) makes a
pretty stupid mistake by sleeping with one of Tracy's (Donald
Faison) friends, in fact this mistake is basically a cheap ploy
for some drama in their relationship. On the positive side, the
comedy works well and entertains. As for the drama, it doesn't
always succeed, and overall the third season of Felicity
ranks a bit lower than the second season.
THE VIDEO
Buena Vista presents
Felicity in 1.33:1 fullscreen format.
Colors look rich and sharp. Color detail looks pretty nice. I
didn’t notice any compression problems or pixelation.
Again, all 23 episodes are nicely spread out over 6 dual-layer
discs, allowing each episode to maintain a well-balanced
quality. The print image looks fine—there is no continuous
softness or dirt to speak of. Dark tones and black levels are
inconsistent, while grain appears during dark scenes. The
overall video transfer looks pretty good.
THE AUDIO
Buena Vista presents
Felicity in English 5.1 Dolby Surround. Dialog scenes are
very clear and easy to understand. The soundtrack is also rich,
each musical number or song comes together nicely through the
front speakers. Surround usage is not really evident in most of
the episodes. Overall, Felicity’s audio presentation is
clear and sounds perfectly fine considering the material.
THE EXTRAS
There are three
audio commentaries available on this set, and the first and
third include a short video introduction:
One Ball, Two Strikes by Greg
Grunberg, Amanda Foreman, and Robert Patrick Benedict is an
enjoyable and interesting track; Let’s Get It On by director
Lawrence Trilling and producer Josh Reims is informative
here and there; Blackout by actress Keri Russell, and
creators J.J. Abrams and Matt Reeves provides some good
tidbits, but there is also a bit of silence here and there.
Docuventary: A Look
Back At Season Three With Greg Grunberg is a 30-minute documentary
filled with interviews by the cast and crew, with Grunberg asking the
participants about experiences and other things they remember about
the show. The subjects are
J.J. Abrams, Josh Reims, Keri Russell, Scott Speedman, Scott Foley,
Tangi Miller, Amanda Foreman, Robert Patrick Benedict, Ian Gomez,
Donald Faison, Amy Jo Johnson, Amy Aquino, and Kristen Lehman. A fun
documentary and well done.
Lastly, Keri on MAD TV is a funny skit about Felicity looking
for a new roommate by interviewing various MAD TV characters,
including Rusty Miller and Ms. Swan.
FINAL THOUGHTS
If you're new to
Felicity, don't start here, go back to the first (or second)
season instead. The third season is a little weaker than the previous
one, but I still found some things entertaining, mostly the laughs.
Fans will want to pick up this set, others might as well just rent it.
The Docuventary featurette is quite good, and overall I'll mark
this one recommended.
